Bounds on dark matter properties from radio observations of Ursa Major II using the Green Bank Telescope

Aravind Natarajan, Jeffrey B. Peterson, Tabitha C. Voytek, Kristine Spekkens, Brian Mason, James Aguirre, and Beth Willman
Phys. Rev. D 88, 083535 – Published 28 October 2013

Abstract

Radio observations of the Ursa Major II dwarf spheroidal galaxy obtained using the Green Bank Telescope are used to place bounds on weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) dark matter properties. Dark matter annihilation releases energy in the form of charged particles which emit synchrotron radiation in the magnetic field of the dwarf galaxy. We compute the expected synchrotron radiation intensity from WIMP annihilation to various primary channels. The predicted synchrotron radiation is sensitive to the distribution of dark matter in the halo, the diffusion coefficient D0, the magnetic field strength B, the particle mass mχ, the annihilation rate σav, and the annihilation channel. Limits on σav, mχ, B, and D0 are obtained for the e+e, μ+μ, τ+τ, and bb¯ channels. Constraints on these parameters are sensitive to uncertainties in the measurement of the dark matter density profile. For the best fit halo parameters derived from stellar kinematics, we exclude 10 GeV WIMPs annihilating directly to e+e at the thermal rate σav=2.18×1026cm3/s at the 2σ level, for B>0.6μG (1.6μG) and D0=0.1(1.0)× the Milky Way diffusion value.

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  • Received 26 August 2013

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.88.083535

© 2013 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Aravind Natarajan*, Jeffrey B. Peterson, and Tabitha C. Voytek

  • McWilliams Center for Cosmology, Carnegie Mellon University, Department of Physics, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, USA

Kristine Spekkens

  • Royal Military College of Canada, Department of Physics, P.O. Box 17000, Station Forces, Kingston, Ontario, Canada K7K 7B4

Brian Mason

  • National Radio Astronomy Observatory, 520 Edgemont Road, Charlottesville, Virginia 22903-2475, USA

James Aguirre

  • University of Pennsylvania, Department of Physics and Astronomy, 209 South 33rd Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA

Beth Willman

  • Department of Astronomy, Haverford College, 370 Lancaster Avenue, Haverford, Pennsylvania 19041, USA

  • *anat@andrew.cmu.edu

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Vol. 88, Iss. 8 — 15 October 2013

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